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Introduction

Somalia is situated on the horn of East Africa and is bordered by the Gulf of Aden and Djibouti to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east and south, to the north and northwest by Ethiopia and Kenya to the southwest.

The northern region is mountainous with plateaus ranging 3,000 and 7,000 ft. To the northeast there is an extremely dry dissected plateau that reaches a maximum height of 8,250 ft. South and west of this region, extending to the Shebeli River, lies a plateau whose maximum elevation is 2,250 ft. The region between the Juba and Shebeli rivers is low agricultural land, and the area that extends southwest of the Juba River to the Kenyan border is low pasture land.

The Juba and Shebeli rivers originate in Ethiopia and flow toward the Indian Ocean. They provide water for irrigation but are not navigable by commercial vessels. The Shebeli dries up before reaching the ocean. Despite its lengthy shore line, Somalia has no natural harbours because of inshore coral reefs.